SLOW COOKER FOR SINGLES

Past Week's Average Daily Consumption: Energy = 2335 cal   Na = 1359 mg

Read an interesting article by Joe Yonan of the Washington Post this week. It's about using the slowcooker by single cooks.

I do have a small one, a “Crockette” by Rival. It's a mini 1-1/2 quart crockpot perfectly sized for small batch cooking. I can cook my meals from scratch, in smaller portions, hands free, with my slow cooker. Up till now, I have used it on occasion to make homemade chicken stock and the odd batch of chili, but Joe has pointed out this appliance could be much more versatile and for many reasons in my quest for made-from-scratch meals.

1. Cost

Buying, operating, and cooking with a slow cooker is very frugal. Slow cookers cost around $30 to $100 to and can save hundreds over purchasing fancy countertop convection toaster ovens and broilers.

Slow cookers can also cut my grocery bill significantly by allowing me to buy cheaper cuts of meat and tenderizing them over low heat for a longer time. I’ve saved over 50% (hundreds of dollars a year) on meat and poultry by purchasing lesser cuts and slow cooking them into tasty soups and stews. I can make a batch of baked beans by using a slow cooker to soak and cook dried beans – saving around 60% over buying canned beans, which are full of sodium.

Cooking with a crock is also very inexpensive when compared to the costs of running an oven. A crock pot consumes around 250 watts of power while an oven can draw up to 4000 watts – depending on how you are cooking. This means that using a conventional electric oven for one hour can cost around 20 cents while operating a crock pot for 7 hours costs only 10 cents – an energy savings of 50%.

Lastly, there are big bucks to be saved by using your slow cooker leftovers for lunch or remixing them into single serving portions/ meals. How’s that for frugalicious meal planning! (Yes, that is a word.)

2. Healthy

There’s something just so wholesome and healthy about homemade soups, stews, oatmeal, and other slow cooked low-sodium meals. Slow cooked recipes rarely call for added oils or fats since they use water and time to cook the food. So as long as I trim the fat from lesser cuts of meat, I can prepare lunch meat for sandwiches and forgo the deli counter; braise a roast for dinner that is melt in your mouth as good as any restaurant meal; or precook time-consuming batches of dried beans or marinara sauce for the freezer.

Overall it allows me to manage my high blood pressure through diet by allowing me to control how much sodium is in my food.

3. Cooking is Easy

Cooking the slow way using a crock pot is very easy to do – just layer your food into the crock, set it and forget it! It’s seriously that easy. I set up my slow cooker in the morning before heading off to work and when I come home dinner is done and ready to serve. Often, I make my homemade stock overnight while I sleep. Made-from-scratch couldn't get much easier. Besides, most slow cooker recipes are not intricate to prepare and require zero culinary skills to master. 

4. Clean Up is Easy

One of the drawbacks about being the solo chef is that I am also the chief dish-and-bottle washer too. There is little fuss and no mess to clean up afterwards. So I spend more time with my friends and less time with dish pan hands after each meal.

If the slow cooker has a removable crock then cleaning up is just that much easier – just place the crock in the sink for a good soak and wipe clean. Removable crocks or inserts also cut down on clean ups by allowing me to serve a meal in the crock itself and store leftovers in the refrigerator – this is single dish cooking, serving, and storing at its best.

5. Meals are Tasty

Slow cookers are all about dishing out delicious comfort foods – meals like crock pot bbq pulled pork, slow cooker beef stew, or even award winning crock pot chili. Crocks improve the flavour of a meal by taking less desirable cuts of meat or simple beans, and turning them into tasty low-sodium meals by simmering in low heat and cooking over several hours. 

6. Saves Time

Along with saving big bucks, slow cookers save me lots of time because they allow me to cook hands (and eyes) free. Once I've got my ingredients prepared and placed in the crock, I don’t have to stand around stirring and monitoring it. Cooking in a crock pot is not like preparing food in an oven or on a stovetop because there’s no boiling over or burning. I just don’t have to babysit my meal as it cooks and even if I can't get back to it when it is done, it won't burn or dry out. Who knew that cooking slowly could save you so much time. Besides, what would you rather do – spend more time slaving over a hot stove or going outside to the patio and read a good book on a beautiful summer's day?